All These Things
by Jenna-na
Summary: Snape and Bellatrix have a not so ordinary relationship. There's definately something there, but the two might be too reluctant to discover exactly what it is. Note: This story doesn't have a set time as to when it happened, except that it's pre DH.
1. Chapter 1

Author's note and other random things: Disclaimer: Now really, if I owned Harry Potter, would I be sitting here writing fan fiction about it? I think not.

I'm probably not going to update this too often, but you never know.

I didn't specify which two Death Eaters were speaking in the first three lines. So just imagine whoever you want talking to each other saying them. X3

Also, Snape may be acting a bit out of character, but who could actually capture his personality perfectly other than JKR herself? I try, but not the first couple of chapters, so be warned. Actually, all characters might not be acting as they normally would. If you don't like it, then don't read.

There's no description of how the characters look in the beginning because we all have different images for the characters in our minds. I expect you all to have read the books to be reading fan fiction about it. If not then, I suppose you'll have no idea how they look. You could always do an image search for a character and have the movie version or artist renderings?

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"I mean honestly, what does he expect us to do when he's not here? Just sit here waiting for a command wasting our lives away?"

"It's what we're doing, isn't it?"

"Well, I suppose. Yes. I guess it is…"

The Death Eaters sat in a room, about a fourth of the size of the Great Hall at Hogwarts. It was made of stone, was poorly furnished, and was filled with people, bored expressions on their faces. They really had nothing to do when Lord Voldemort wasn't with them in the winter, especially when most Hogwarts students were away for holiday. Severus Snape sat in a corner shuffling a deck of cards; Rabastan Lestrange was sitting at a glass-topped table with his brother, Rodolphus Lestrange, and sister-in-law, Bellatrix Lestrange. Amycus and Alecto Carrow leaned against the wall talking a bit every once in a while. Barty Crouch Junior sat on the ground, his legs crossed, slowly emptying a bottle of firewhiskey.

Lucius Malfoy was reading a book, occasionally being interrupted by his son's questioning and bored complaints. His wife, Narcissa, although not really a Death Eater, was with him, draped across an armchair taking a nap. The room was silent except for the quiet sound of cards hitting each other, the impatient drumming of fingers (caused by Bellatrix), and the rare exasperated sigh.

"Not for nothing, Severus, but that card shuffling is rather irritating."

"Not for nothing, Bellatrix, but that finger drumming is rather irritating." he replied mockingly.

Bellatrix drummed her fingers one last time before flexing her fingers and letting her hand drop flatly on the table. She sighed in annoyance as Snape continued to shuffle his cards. She glared at him dangerously, but he pretended not to notice. "Severus!" Bella cried out, finally having enough.

"Fine, fine, I'll stop." Snape said, throwing the cards up in the air carelessly and watching them flutter to the ground.

"Someone entertain me. I've been sitting here for the past hour watching a spider spin a web. I'm bored out of my mind." Draco said as he crossed his arms on the top of the chair his mother was occupying, slowly lowering his head to rest on top of them.

"Well what do you expect us to do? Put on a magic show?" asked Bellatrix in annoyance. It's not as if he was the only one that was bored.

"Come on Aunt Bella, you know what I mean." he said.

"No, I really don't. Enlighten me." she replied flatly.

Draco didn't really know what to do either. He kept his eyes on the spider spinning its web, unhurried, making sure each and every strand connected where it was supposed to, and checking that each was not too short or too long. It worked so hard, and the end result was rather pretty, almost like a small bit of magic that no witch or wizard could ever produce.

"Crucio." said Bellatrix almost inaudibly, aiming her wand at the spider. A smile gradually spread across her face as she watched the spider fall to the ground, in too much pain to stay where it was. Its legs bent in directions they weren't supposed to go, and when it could, the spider thrashed about a bit, until giving in to the pain again and crumpling. Bellatrix couldn't help but let out a small giggle. Finally, she decided to stop as it was beginning to bore her. A jet of green light shot out of the tip of her wand and hit the spider. The spider ceased to move.

Draco sighed. "Now what am I supposed to do? I was watching that." Draco said coldly to his aunt. Bella merely mumbled something that no one could decipher.

"That magic show idea wasn't bad." Lucius stated, not lifting his eyes from his book.

Rodolphus scoffed at this. "Except we all know how to do magic," he said. Rabastan nodded in agreement with his brother.

"How do you expect us to be amused if we know how to do it ourselves?" Alecto questioned.

"We could do magic. Without wands." Severus answered.

Bellatrix rolled her eyes. "Like that's possible."

Severus smirked. Maybe not real magic, but tricks and slight of hand. If no one figured out the trick, which most people didn't, then it could be enjoyable to see their reactions. He walked briskly over to the table that Rodolphus, Rabastan, and Bellatrix were seated around and sat in the last unoccupied chair. The Death Eaters that weren't currently at the table quickly walked over to it, curious as to what Severus was planning to do. Lucius woke his wife and walked over to the group to watch.

"Bellatrix, that necklace you're wearing is quite lovely." Narcissa said to her sister after arriving at the table.

"Hm. It is. Is it important to you?" asked Snape, seeming more interested in it than would be expected.

"Thank you Cissy. And yes, it's important to me." Bellatrix replied, raising her brow at Snape. "Now are you doing magic or not? I want your wand. Actually, I want everyone's wands. No one can help you, and you can't help yourself."

Snape's face remained expressionless, though internally, he grinned. She always thought of everything. He surrendered his wand, as did everyone else. Bellatrix stowed them away, sticking some in a bag and others in a variety of places, none of them easily reached without being seen.

"So? Get on with it then." uttered Draco, impatient and bored.

Severus started by pulling a new deck of cards out of a pocket. He began shuffling, but was interrupted by someone cutting his sleeves off. Everyone looked at Barty as if he were an escapee from St. Mungo's Janus Thickey ward.

"What are you doing?" inquired Snape as Barty continued cutting the seams of Snape's robes at the shoulder.

"Making sure you're not cheating. You know, shoving cards up your sleeves and things." replied Barty as if it were obvious.

"Alright…" Severus said, still unsure about the man's sanity. He let the cut off sleeves fall off his arms onto the floor. A simple 'reparo' would fix it later. He continued shuffling the cards then spread them in a perfect fan. "Someone pick a card."

Bellatrix ran her hand along the cards, wondering how this was going to work out. She selected a card and looked at it. It was black, the Queen of Spades. She showed it to the rest of the Death Eaters, making sure Snape couldn't see the face of the card. He cut the deck and told her to put it there. She did so, and he placed the rest of the deck on top.

"Hold on a second." Draco said, his tone laced with a hint of disappointment. "I didn't think it would be this easy to figure out… but you're just holding the place with your finger, aren't you?"

Snape simply placed the deck of cards in Draco's hands. "You shuffle it then."

"Really? It won't mess up your trick or anything?" asked Draco, obviously surprised.

"Of course not. It's magic, not a trick." Snape answered, earning a few looks of confusion and doubt from his fellow Death Eaters. "In fact, all of you can shuffle if you like."

Draco thoroughly shuffled the deck and offered it to his mother. She did the same and handed it to Rabastan. He shuffled, then handed the deck back to Snape, who passed the deck to Bellatrix. "We need something transparent. There aren't any windows that I can stand on the other side of, and the door doesn't have one. Hm."

"The table won't work?" questioned Amycus, somewhat suspicious.

"I didn't think of that. No, it'll work fine. I'll have to go under the table though." said Snape, already pushing his seat back and lowering himself under the glass. "Now Bellatrix, I need you to spread the cards out on top of the glass. Not in a fan or a line, just spread them around, sort of a pile I guess. It doesn't really matter."

Barty started mixing the cards on the table at this point, trying to make sure that they were sufficiently jumbled, creating the pile Severus had asked for at the same time. When he was satisfied, he stopped and stood back, watching with the others. Bellatrix looked interested, Draco was still doubtful it would work, Narcissa was curious, as was Lucius, Amycus, and Alecto. Barty seemed a bit drunk, but was enjoying the trick anyway, Rodolphus and Rabastan looked as if they didn't know where Snape was taking this.

"Now, I haven't seen your card and you all shuffled the deck, making sure I couldn't figure out where it was, right? Push on the cards, Bella." Severus said as Bellatrix started pushing on the cards. Snape looked as if he were trying to pull something from the bottom of the glass.

"How did you- how are you- what?" Draco spluttered, completely and utterly perplexed. Snape was pulling a card _through_ the glass. He placed the card face up on the table and reclaimed his seat. Right there, face up on the table, was the Queen of Spades. Eyes widened and mouths dropped open, the Death Eaters all turned to Snape. In the next minute, he was faced with half-asked questions, stuttering, and more looks of amazement. After recovering a bit, the Death Eaters were all creating ideas with each other on how that was possible. Bellatrix and Draco seemed to be the only ones that weren't trying to figure out how it was done, for they were just taking pleasure in being shown the trick.

A while after conversing about the trick, trying to figure out how it was done, and failing miserably, the Death Eaters returned to where they were before. Snape collected the cards, then went over to the corner to pick up the cards he had left earlier, Bellatrix returned to hitting her fingers on the top of the table, and Draco went back to being bored. After he finished picking up the 52 cards, Severus joined the group at the glass table again. "Another trick?" asked Bellatrix, trying painfully hard to sound uninterested.

"Maybe if you stop playing percussion with your fingers." Snape replied. He was quite surprised when she stopped right after he said the word 'percussion.' "I said maybe." Bellatrix's eager expression seemed to falter at that. "Bella, may I see your necklace?" Severus asked casually.

"My… necklace?" Bellatrix questioned as if she hadn't heard him right. "I suppose. If you do another trick after." Severus rolled his eyes. She really did enjoy that trick. Hm.

"Alright, I'll do another after I look at it." he said. Snape pushed back from the table and walked over behind Bellatrix. He moved her hair over her right shoulder and unhooked the clasp of the necklace. Rodolphus seemed a bit uncomfortable seeing Snape so close to his wife. Severus pretended not to notice, but brushed his fingers lightly on the back of her neck before turning around and returning to his seat, necklace in hand. He didn't see that his touch had caused Bellatrix to shiver. The small brush of skin was light enough to pass as unintentional, though that didn't keep Rodolphus from looking shocked if not slightly hurt, at his wife's reaction to it. He recovered quickly when the other Death Eaters gathered around the table again.

"He's not doing another trick yet." Bellatrix stated when the other Death Eaters started arriving.

"Hm." Snape grunted as he examined the necklace closely. "That's really beautiful." Severus said, tightening the chain in his hands so it was a flat, silver line leading from one to the other, the ornament staying somewhere near the middle of the chain. The silver necklace really was quite attractive, the person that made the pendant had tried incredibly hard to make it flawless. It was a small silver heart, encrusted with tiny diamonds, probably meant to sparkle when in the sun. If one looked really closely, he or she could see a design engraved into the silver where there were no diamonds. That amount of detail, and the precision at which it had been done was breathtaking. The piece of jewelry was gorgeous.

Severus stretched the chain tighter and tighter until finally, it broke into three pieces. A couple people gasped, Bellatrix gave him a dark look, and Rodolphus looked as if he were about to explode. "You- you- you… SNAPE! How could you have done that? I said it was precious to me, and you just _broke _it." Bellatrix yelled. She hoped she was acting angry enough. She'd never say, but the necklace really wasn't that important to her. It was simply another reminder that Rodolphus cared about her, and she already knew that.

"I gave that to her the day after we got married, git!" shouted Rodolphus. All the rage directed at Snape seemed to fly over him. He didn't look the least bit guilty.

"I apologize." said Severus, not really meaning it. "Bella, if I can fix it, I'd deserve a little peck on the cheek. You'd do it, wouldn't you?"

Rodolphus grew angrier. Bellatrix was _married_ to him. How could Snape just ask that? Bellatrix laughed at Snape. "Of course I will, if you fix it without your wand, without just replacing the chain, and without taking it to a jeweler." she stated. She figured he had no way out of this.

"Hm. Fine. I'm not going to fix it though. You are." said Snape, sliding the three pieces and the heart over towards Bella.

Draco seemed to catch on first. "This _is _another trick, isn't it?" he asked. Lucius seemed genuinely more interested after hearing this. Severus simply shrugged his shoulders in response to the question. Barty picked up the three pieces of the necklace to make sure they really were broken. He slid the heart off the piece of the chain it was on for good measure. When he was done, he placed the pieces and the heart back on the table near Bellatrix.

"Bella, I need you to put your hand over the pieces. Yes, just like that." Snape instructed as Bellatrix moved her right hand to cover the four parts of the destroyed accessory. Snape stared intently at Bella's hand for a moment. "Now Bellatrix, grab the chain and lift it slowly off the table. Remember, slowly." Severus said.

Bellatrix did as she was told. She grabbed a piece of chain between her index finger and thumb and slowly lifted the piece. Though now, it wasn't actually a piece. It was the whole chain, unbroken, clasped, and with the heart on it.

"Severus, won't you _please_ tell how you did that?" begged Narcissa. She wasn't the only one that wanted to know. Draco asked the same question, Alecto and Amycus were examining the necklace, and Bellatrix was speechless. Rodolphus looked slightly jealous, Rabastan was unconvinced that was possible, and Barty was purely amused. Severus smirked at them all.

"I'm not telling how I did it." Severus answered Cissy.

"Did you see? He didn't even _touch_ the chain!" Draco exclaimed to Barty. The necklace was returned to Bellatrix, who looked at it in astonishment. It wasn't possible. She didn't do that. She couldn't have fixed it without knowing, could she? Severus did it. But how? He didn't even touch the thing, like Draco said. A small smile graced her lips. Some things were just too odd to understand.

"Bella, I do remember a certain promise before this trick…?" Severus said. Rodolphus clenched his jaw as Severus got up from his seat and approached Bellatrix. She bent forward to kiss his cheek, when suddenly, he turned his head to hers so she kissed him on the lips. Lucius chuckled at this. Rodolphus glared at everyone. Today was not exactly the best day of his life. Snape pulled back to find a very emotionally confused Bellatrix looking back at him. He smirked at her. Her expression changed too fast to know how she truly felt. At first, it was pleasurable, then shocked, then angry, then confused, then loving, then guilty, then worried. She looked to Rodolphus to see his reaction. He was giving Severus a foul look. Bella excused herself from the table and left the room.

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Author's note and more other random things: In case you all are wondering, the first effect performed by Severus is called 'Kaos' by Sean Beard. The second is something I saw Criss Angel do on tv. I don't know how to do either of them, but they're both really fun to watch. -

I forgot Yaxley, Dolohov, Macnair, Mulciber, Avery, and everyone else. I might put them in later chapters though. Depends on what you all want. Is there anyone else I'm forgetting?


	2. Chapter 2

Author's note and other random things: Disclaimer: I don't own it. Neither do you. If you do, can I have your autograph?

So I decided to write the second chapter anyway and update fast. Hehe.

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Bellatrix found herself walking down a narrow hallway outside the room. She just needed to escape the situation. What happened? Snape had kissed her, but she had _enjoyed_ it. Rodolphus rarely affected her as greatly as Severus did. When he touched her neck she had shivered, when he kissed her, she didn't want to pull away. It's not supposed to be that way! She was angry and disappointed in herself. She felt guilty, but she wouldn't mind doing it again… No, no, that wasn't any good. She'd smack him if he did it again. Yes. Bella sighed.

Back in the room, no one had moved. Most were still staring at Severus except Lucius, who had returned to his armchair and was reading his book. Narcissa was the first to break the silence. "Severus," she started, not sure what exactly was going on, "What was that?"

Snape glanced at Cissy then answered, "I just felt like a surprise. I'm hoping it bugged her. I guess it's payback for the incident at my house." He shrugged. It really was supposed to irritate Bellatrix, and he had been rather reluctant to do it, considering that they didn't really get along too well, but Severus had ended up liking the kiss much more than he intended. He hoped his excuse was believable.

"Well that's good to hear." said Rodolphus, relief flooding his face. His whole body seemed to calm at Snape's words. "I thought for a second you were trying to steal her away. Not that she'd be stupid enough to leave me. She's a smart woman. What was… that incident… at your house?"

Severus chuckled internally. "Oh that. It was nothing really. Just a little get together. Bellatrix is wonderful in bed." Snape finished with a smirk. Amycus and Alecto looked at each other in shock. Rodolphus looked confused for a moment, but then twisted into a very angry expression. Narcissa laughed.

"Oh Severus. Haven't you made him suffer enough?" asked Narcissa. "They didn't do anything, Rodolphus, he was just joking. I was there, and Bella didn't want to go, but she had tried to stop me and ended up staying."

Lucius looked up from his book looking somewhat betrayed. "You were there, Cissa? And why was that?"

"Oh. Well… It was for Draco." Narcissa answered.

"Really…? Hm." Lucius replied, his expression still bearing slight traces of suspicion.

"I wonder where Bella went…" stated Rodolphus.

Meanwhile, Bellatrix was still pacing up and down along the hallway. She'd convinced herself that the shiver was not a reaction to Snape. If he hadn't touched her, she would have shivered anyway. I was one of those things that just happened involuntarily, even though nothing had happened, like a muscle spasm sort of thing. And the kiss, that was tougher to explain, but she figured that it was only because Snape had reminded her of Rodolphus kissing her. Not really, but she'd use anything to be sure she had no feelings for the potions master. She didn't trust him anyway.

The door to the room burst open to reveal a haggard looking Bellatrix who immediately rushed over to Rodolphus and took a seat in his lap. Rodolphus looked pleased at this and started to kiss her. Bella's eyes closed with bliss and she wove her fingers into his hair and returned the love.

"This is awkward…" muttered Draco.

Bellatrix tore herself away from her husband, flushed a faint pink color, and glared at her nephew. Rodolphus laughed heartily. He'd make sure they'd continue later. Severus had become silent and was again in the corner, though this time not shuffling cards. It appeared that he was reading a book like Lucius, when in fact, trying not to glare at the couple. He didn't quite understand why, for he wasn't attracted to Bellatrix other than in a friendly way (or so he had persuaded himself to believe). Actually, he wasn't even attracted to her as a friend. So why was he envious? Ah well. Best to just forget the feelings. He loved Lily anyway. Then again, Lily was dead, so that wasn't really a valid excuse.

The room was oddly quiet now that no one was entertaining the others and all the romance had been suspended. "Anybody hungry?" asked Barty, his stomach growling soon after he'd finished speaking. Alecto and Amycus nodded along with Draco.

"A bit. Let's go out to eat, all of us." Narcissa proposed. Bellatrix seemed a bit uncomfortable with the idea, but Rodolphus agreed to go and she wanted to stay with him, afraid that if he left, her mind would create fantasies of her and a certain someone, doing certain things, and enjoying those certain things immensely. Not that she liked the certain someone. Nope. Not at all.

Bellatrix returned everyone's wands and the group apparated to an alleyway not far from the restaurant they had agreed to eat at. They received odd looks from some of the individuals at the eatery, and from their waiter, but the group ignored them all and was lead to a large booth. After a few minutes, the waiter came by for orders. "Can I get you all something to drink?" he asked politely.

"I'll have your finest elf-made… I mean… errr… wine. Just wine." Narcissa corrected. The waiter gave a puzzled expression and wrote it down.

"I'll have wine too." Lucius stated. About half the group ordered the same, and the other half asked for just water.

"Now what kind of wine will that be?" the waiter questioned, just before he left.

"Red." Severus answered. The others just nodded their heads in agreement. The waiter left to get the drinks while the others looked at the menus. In about five minutes, the waiter had returned with the drinks and was ready for the orders. "I'll have the fettuccini alfredo." said Snape.

"The same for me." Bellatrix uttered.

"Me too." declared Rodolphus.

The three Malfoys decided on the salmon, Barty was going to try the spaghetti, Rabastan ordered the Caesar salad, Alecto the mixed green salad, and Amycus the chicken noodle soup. The waiter hurried away.

"How long do muggle restaurants usually take?" Draco asked, already bored.

"Oh I don't know. You can ask for one of the children coloring sheets to entertain you while you wait though." answered Narcissa.

"Mother!" Draco said, aghast that his mother would suggest such a thing.

Narcissa giggled and leaned on Lucius' arm. Draco spoke again, this time trying to get something interesting to happen, "Aunt Bella, would you sleep with Snape if the Dark Lord commanded it of you?"

Snape choked on his wine, Bellatrix stared at Draco, Rodolphus looked as if he lost his appetite, and Rabastan was surprised. The rest were sort of frozen in place. "Well?" Draco prodded.

"Draco! How- why- what made you ask that?" Bella answered, incredulous.

"You're avoiding the question…" Draco pointed out.

"I would _never_ do such a thing! I'm a married woman. Besides, the Dark Lord has nothing to gain from me doing so. That's a silly idea, Draco. I don't know how you ever thought of that." Bellatrix replied. Draco seemed satisfied with this, though it proved unsettling for someone else at the table.

"Well why not? Besides the fact that you're married. Are you saying if you weren't you would? Let's say you weren't married, Bella, would you?" Snape asked. Rodolphus winced as his marriage to Bellatrix was brushed aside so easily.

"No, I still wouldn't. I still don't believe that you're completely faithful to the Dark Lord, not to mention the fact that I think you'd be terrible in-"

"I might be fabulous for all you know. Then again, you're too afraid to find ou-"

"Is that a challenge!? How dare you! You know very well that I won't accept it, I'm marri-"

"We _know_, Bella. We heard you the first time. If the Dark Lord commanded it though. If you're his most loyal and faithful, wouldn't y-"

"That's not _fair_!" Bella screeched.

Unbeknownst to the two participants in the debate, their voices had risen far above indoor voices to the point of shouting at each other, drawing the whole restaurant's attention to them. The spectators, who had been turning their heads back and forth as if watching a tennis match, looked back to Snape waiting for a reply.

"It's completely fair. You said yourself that you would do anything for the Dark Lord. This just happens to fall into that category." Snape finished sarcastically.

"Well, I…" Bellatrix was unsure of what to say.

"Actually, even if you were married. And he commanded it of you. You would do it, right?" Snape repeated the question with a few alterations.

"Of course not! I mean look at you!" Bella shouted.

"What's wrong with how I look!? Are you saying you wouldn't sleep with me under the Dark Lord's orders?" Snape yelled back.

"I'd sleep with you!" shouted a drunken muggle girl from the bar. She received a small amount of applause. Snape nodded curtly in her direction.

"I- I- I don't know!" screamed Bellatrix in response to both of Snape's questions.

"Perhaps I should inform the Dark Lord that you would hesitate to follow his orders if in involved sleeping with me." Severus said with a smirk.

"No! No! I'll sleep with you… I will, I swear." Bellatrix replied. Severus was taken aback by her response, as was Rodolphus.

"You mean you would if the Dark Lord wished it of you." corrected Snape.

"Yes! That's what I just said, isn't it?" snapped Bellatrix.

"No, you just swore you would sleep with me." Snape grinned when the color drained from Bellatrix's face.

"I'm revising that statement. Only if the Dark Lord wanted it." Bellatrix said hastily.

"Who's to say I would allow you to follow through with that order? If he didn't command it of me, I wouldn't sleep with you, making your job all the harder."

"Are you saying you don't want me?"

"Yes."

"Oh really? I think I could change that, Severus." said Bellatrix, her voice much more velvety than it had been.

"I doubt that you could." responded Snape quickly. A little too quickly, but no one seemed to notice. The Death Eaters were all staring at Snape and Bella. Rodolphus was nervous. His wife wouldn't… actually do anything, right? Or if she did, she wouldn't mean it. He hoped. Yes, of course she wouldn't mean it. He knew she was competitive and had a temper, so that was why she was acting this way. Rabastan looked interested, Draco was enjoying this much more that he should have, Narcissa and Lucius both looked amused, Alecto didn't know what to think. Amycus was watching intently, and Barty was very interested. The rest of the restaurant looked incredibly curious as to what was going to happen. All the families with children had left the restaurant after hearing the drunk girl from the bar call out to Snape. Everyone watched as Bellatrix made her way over to Snape. He was sitting on the outside of the booth making it easy for her to get to him. Now he had wished he sat somewhere else. Though he had to admit, he _did_ want to know what she was planning to do. She bent so her head was level with his.

"Ohhhh, Severus." Bella moaned. "Ohh… Please! Please Severus!" she begged. Snape's expression was one of complete and total shock. The whole restaurant was silent, so it was not hard to hear her. Some of the drunk men at the bar were grinning, most likely picturing Bellatrix speaking to them.

"Shut your mouth." Severus said through gritted teeth.

Bellatrix smiled. "Why? Don't tell me you don't like it. I _want_ you, Severus. I might mean what I said before… if you just… let me…" she said, sounding breathless at the end. She undid the first two buttons of Snape's robes. He didn't stop her, but looked at her fiercely.

"Bellatrix, stop this." he said loudly, grabbing her wrists when she tried to undo more buttons. "You're lying, and besides, this is a public area. You shouldn't here."

"You'd be surprised at what I'd do in public if I wanted it bad enough." she responded huskily. She nipped Snape's ear at the end of her sentence, which resulted in his grip slackening. Her hands reached for the next buttons on his robe, and again, he didn't stop her. He was concentrating on looking away from her and blocking out all thoughts of Bella.

She undid the next four buttons on his robe, exposing a bit of his chest. A couple of the people still at the restaurant had called friends to come see this odd little show. The manager seemed pleased that it was bringing in more customers than it had scared away, so he didn't kick out our large Death Eater group. Yet.

Snape looked at Bellatrix, silently begging her to stop. She just smirked at him and dragged her nails across his chest. Severus bit his lip. "Admit it. You want me." said Bella, not knowing if what she was doing was affecting Severus at all. "Come on Severus." she said, starting to kiss his neck. He sat very still and stared straight ahead. It appeared that what she was doing was not affecting Snape at all, so she decided to try the first tactic again. "Severus…" she moaned.

And that had done it.

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Author's note and more other random things: Cliffhanger! You love them and hate them at the same time. :3 Anyway, school's keeping me busy, so I'll not be updating a lot. Yup.


	3. Chapter 3

Author's note and other random things: Disclaimer: I hate disclaimers. They just remind me that I don't own Harry Potter.

So yeah, before you read this, I suggest you re-read the last two paragraphs or something to refresh your memory as to what's going on. I'll start with the last sentence though. XD

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_And that had done it._

Severus grabbed Bellatrix and threw her into an empty booth before returning to his seat and downing the entire contents of his almost full wine cup. A waiter quickly filled it again and he drank until it was half empty. A loud _thunk_ was heard from the booth and Bella groaned. She had hit her head on the table. She sat up on the edge of the booth and glowered at Snape. Then her features brightened. "You've been a bad boy Severus. Bad boys need to be punished…" she murmured.

"Figures Aunt Bella would be into… that sort of stuff." said Draco.

Severus just ignored Bella and drank the rest of his wine. He put his empty cup down and found Bellatrix staring at him. He was quite surprised when she sat in his lap, but not at all surprised when she jumped right back up and gaped at him. Snape excused himself to the bathroom, giving Bella a nasty look the whole way. Everyone seemed to understand what happened except Draco and Barty.

"What was that?" asked Barty.

"Yeah, really…?" Draco added. Bellatrix slowly slunk into the spot Severus had just left, her features still arranged in a shocked expression. She hadn't realized she had affected him at all, but apparently she had…

"Hello? What happened?" Draco inquired, still wanting an answer. Then it hit him. Draco seemed to be immobilized for a moment, then whispered to Barty. Barty just laughed and was then joined by everyone except Bellatrix. Rodolphus placed his arm around his wife and smiled at her. She almost immediately pushed his arm off, but he didn't seem to mind.

Severus returned from the bathroom looking about the same, if not worse, than when he left. Six of his buttons were still undone, but he didn't care much. He strode over to the table and Bellatrix jumped up out of his seat. Snape gently pushed her back down into it, left $25 on the table to pay for his dinner, and exited the restaurant. The eating place was emptying out now, so there were two men at the bar, a couple people enjoying a late dinner, and of course, the Death Eaters. "Do you think he's alright?" Narcissa asked, voicing the question that most of the group was thinking. Nobody answered. The waiter, figuring they weren't going to stay for dessert delivered the check. As it would happen, Severus left enough money to pay for two (whether that was intentional or not, no one was sure.). "Bella, don't pay, use the money." Narcissa said.

"What? Why me?" asked Bellatrix.

"Oh just use it. I only have enough for one anyway." Rodolphus said.

"I-I have money…" Bella declared.

"Muggle money?" questioned Draco.

"Oh…" she uttered. After leaving the exact amount of money on the table, the group got up and left for the alleyway. They all agreed to head to the Malfoy Manor for a bit before going home to their own houses (or wherever they lived…). Narcissa dawdled, wanting to speak with her sister before going to her house. The others all apparated, giving Narcissa what she wanted. Bellatrix glanced at her sister warily. "What?" she spat, thinking her sister was going to scold her for her behavior.

"Nothing. I just think you ought to stop by Severus' house… and…" Narcissa faded, unsure of how her sister would react to the idea.

"And what? Apologize? Thank him for the dinner?" replied Bella, making the suggestions sound as if they were ridiculous ideas.

"Well… Yes." answered Narcissa. Bellatrix looked at her like she was speaking a different language.

"I can't just… _go_ and say sorry. I can't thank him or anything…" Bellatrix whispered.

"Well why not? You should, he paid for your dinner." Narcissa said, smirking.

"Well… well… what'll I tell Rodolphus?" Bellatrix demanded.

"I'll take care of it. Just go, Bella." Narcissa urged. Bellatrix nodded glumly and apparated to Snape's house. But what if wasn't even there? She sighed. Oh well. She'd check anyway. Bella quietly walked up to the door and knocked hesitantly. She sincerely hoped that he wouldn't be home. Unfortunately for her, the door opened slightly. Severus gave her a dirty look and slammed the door shut.

Bellatrix stared at the wood. This wasn't fair. It's not like she wanted to be here either. "Severus! Open the door!" she called out. Thirty minutes later, it was sleeting, she was still pounding on the door, very weakly mind you, but still desperate to see him, to get this apology over and done with. "Severus, please… Please…" she begged. Severus opened the door a crack and glared at her, his expression harsher than before.

"Why are you doing that again? Trying to make me want you like before?" he asked quietly.

"What? No. No!" Bella exclaimed. Then she realized what she had been saying is what she said in the restaurant at first. "Oh… I just… well… hm." She wasn't very good at being apologetic. Snape was about to shut the door again, but Bellatrix reacted and put her arm between the door and the door frame. She yelped in pain as the door hit her.

"You could have just apparated inside…" said Snape flatly.

"That would be intruding. I just wanted to come talk to you, Severus. Let me in?" she pleaded again. The door opened slowly and Bellatrix stepped inside, rubbing her arm. She was dripping wet and shivering like mad, but inside. She grabbed her wand and attempted to say a spell that would get her dry and warm, but her teeth were chattering too much. Her hand was shaking violently because of how cold she was and her wand fell with a clatter to the floor. Snape raised his wand and said the spell rather unenthusiastically, as if he was reluctant to help her, which he was. She nodded in thanks and bent to pick up her wand. They looked at each other for a moment before diverting their gazes and staring aimlessly around the room.

"Can I offer you something to drink?" Severus asked politely, not entirely sure what else to do.

"The strongest drink you have." Bellatrix answered. She figured if she was ever going to apologize to him, she'd have to be drunk. She was too prideful otherwise.

Snape hurried off to the kitchen, wanting desperately to escape the awkward atmosphere of the other room. He searched through the drinks that he owned, though he didn't know exactly which was strongest. He took two bottles of Ogden's Old Firewhiskey, a single bottle of Red Currant Rum, and one bottle of elf-made wine. He found two wineglasses and put them on a tray along with the selected drinks. Carrying the tray, he returned to the room and set the tray on a table. He sat in an armchair and Bella took a seat across from him. Severus poured himself a glass of the elf-made wine and offered Bellatrix the bottle. She shook her head and opted instead for firewhiskey. They raised their glasses and drank. Snape placed his glass on the table, but Bellatrix just continued to drain her glass. When it was completely empty, she set it on the table and Snape refilled it for her. She took it again and drank the entire contents, this time, keeping the glass in her hand.

"Bellatrix, you had something to tell me…?" Snape asked, still not knowing why she had come to his house.

"I… well…" Bellatrix said before reaching for the bottle of fire whiskey, not bothering to fill her glass this time, but instead just drinking out of the bottle.

"Just tell me." _So you can leave._ He added in his mind.

"You left enough money for two people, to pay for dinner I mean. And well, everyone told me to use it and all. So shank you forrr dinner I guess…" Bella muttered that last part before bringing the bottle to her lips again. She found it void of liquid and reached for the Red Currant Rum. The apologizing bit was going to be much harder…

"That's it?" Snape asked curiously. Was it really that hard for her to say thank you?

"No, the's morre..." Bellatrix said, laughing and slurring her words. She finished what was left of the rum and grabbed the second bottle of firewhiskey. Snape got himself a second glass of the wine and listened.

"Well?" he prodded, wanting to hear whatever she was reluctant to say.

"I… I'm sorry..." she said, her whole body relaxing after she said it. The glass she had been holding fell from her hand and it shattered on the floor. She giggled and drunkenly staggered toward Snape and sat on his knees. "Sorry about tonighth. Athe food plathe… Haha. Are you secretly Santa Claweees, Snape?"

"No, I'm not…" Snape said with a chuckle. This was rather amusing.

"Shoore abou thaaa? I think… you are… I'm tioored." Bellatrix yawned as she leaned back on his chest, her head resting against his neck. Severus was taken aback for a minute, but didn't push her off. He simply adjusted his position to one of more comfort.

"No wonder Bella, it's two in the morning." he whispered quietly into her hair.

"Alreaddyy…? Hmmmm…" She sighed. Severus just chuckled. She seemed so innocent right then, it was comical considering who she really was. His thoughts were interrupted by Bella's lips crushing his own. Snape pulled away immediately and looked at Bella, immensely confused. Bellatrix didn't seem to notice this and kissed him again, very passionately, but her kisses tasted of alcohol. Severus pulled away, holding Bella back. She was drunk, and that was the only reason this was happening.

"Bella, you forget Rodolphus?" he asked sarcastically. She didn't respond, for she was already asleep. Severus smiled and tried to extract himself from the armchair without waking her. Bellatrix whimpered when he moved away, like a child that was refused a new toy, but quickly returned to her slumber. Snape walked over to his old couch and lay down. It wouldn't feel right leaving her down here all alone, even if she wasn't totally welcome. Or maybe he just didn't want to leave. No, no, it was definitely the first. Right? He slowly fell asleep.

The next morning, Severus woke to find his arm around a very peaceful looking Bella, who had apparently joined him on the couch during the night. He wondered if she actually knew it was him, or if the alcohol had caused her to think he was Rodolphus. He figured the latter was more likely. Snape removed his arm and looked at the clock. It read 11:13 AM. Had Bella planned to stay the night? Probably not… He shook her gently until she half opened her eyes.

Bellatrix groaned. She hated getting out of bed. Though, she didn't seem to be on a bed… Bella looked around to find herself in Snape's house, next to him on his couch, the emptied bottles from last night still on the table. Her head was pounding and the room was too bright. It was bright. Her eyes widened. "Severus, what time is it?" Bella croaked, her voice hoarse from just waking up.

"11:15 in the morning." Severus answered, keeping it short. This situation was quite strange.

Bellatrix jumped up off the couch causing the room to spin. She fell backward onto Snape. He groaned. "I was supposed to… what'll they think… I wonder if Cissy… no, she wouldn't. Would she? I have to… I have to… It's so late in the day. What will I tell him?" Bellatrix rambled off a bunch of incomplete thoughts.

Snape sighed. He liked her much better when she was silent. Severus pushed Bellatrix off him and walked to the kitchen to get water and an aspirin. He returned just in time to see Bella dash off to the bathroom. When she returned, he handed her the water and aspirin and she looked at him gratefully. "I… I should go…" Bellatrix muttered, half to herself, half to Severus.

"We both should. All of us have spent the days together this past week, it would look suspicious if both of us are missing, then show up together…"

"Are you implying…?"

"Yes, that's what I mean. Especially with that little stunt you pulled last night at the restaurant."

"You had to bring that up again."

"Yes, I had to. Have you any idea where the rest of the group might be?"

Bellatrix considered this. The Death Eaters had probably went to the Malfoy manor then returned to their own houses, as that was what they had been doing for the last couple of nights. There was the chance that everyone just decided to stay there for the night though. They could still be there, or, considering the time, they might be in that room with the glass table. "I think we should check at Lucius and Cissy's house. Then if they're not there, the room with the glass table is my second…" She was cut off by having the rush to the bathroom again. When she returned, Severus offered her his arm.

"Apparating by yourself in the state you're in is probably not such a good idea." Snape said. Bella nodded, her head throbbing too much to think of a good argument. She grasped his arm tightly and shut her eyes as he apparated. If the sensation was unpleasant before, it was much worse with a hangover. They arrived outside the Malfoy's large front door, the sunlight causing a searing pain in Bella's head. She swore to herself she was never drinking again. Snape pushed Bella towards the door. She fumbled with the doorknob, feeling too terrible to push the door open. Severus opened it for her and helped her into the entrance hallway before quickly exiting and hiding.

Bellatrix was grateful for the less intense light, but her eyes flashed as they tried to adjust and she got somewhat light headed again. She stumbled and fell to the floor, the resounding crash resulting in Narcissa hurrying into the hallway, Draco and Lucius arriving soon after. Lucius picked Bellatrix up and brought her into what appeared to be a living room. There were comfortable looking couches, an inviting fire roaring in the fireplace, a beautiful rug, and a couple tables and armchairs. Some of the couches and armchairs were occupied by the Death Eaters, the whole group from last night and two new additions, Yaxley and Dolohov. Bellatrix smiled weakly as Lucius placed her on a sofa. Rodolphus immediately raced over to her, pelting her with questions. Bella sat up and rubbed her temples.

"Bella! Where were you last night? Cissy said you went out for a drink, but you didn't come here after, so I was worried. Are you alright? Did anything happen?" Rodolphus questioned. Bellatrix sort of just nodded her aching head. Narcissa handed her a glass of water from which she drank quite a bit.

"Ask me later." Bellatrix said flatly.

"No. I deserve answers, Bella."

"Ask. Me. Later."

Rodolphus glared at his wife, but didn't pester her anymore. Severus, who had been outside in the biting cold all this time, apparated into the room with a loud pop. Bella cringed at the noise. Snape looked at her as if he had no idea what happened.

"What happened to her?" asked Snape.

"Apparently has a hangover. Where did you go, Bella?" said Dolohov.

"Just… out. But I really don't feel like talking about it right now. Can I just go lay down somewhere quiet?" she inquired. Narcissa nodded and helped her sister to one of the Malfoy's many guest rooms.

"And where did you go after… well, you know." piped up Amycus.

"Just home. I had a few glasses of wine then fell asleep." answered Severus.

"Didn't go out hunting for Aunt Bella or anything?" laughed Draco.

_Not really. It was sort of the other way around._ Snape laughed half-heartedly. Dinner last night was rather embarrassing. Bella had made it so he _did_ want her, and everyone found out. He wished that was the first and last time she would try to seduce him, and that last night at his house was the only time he would ever be alone with her. Well, if he was being completely honest, he half hoped it was the last time for both, and half hoped that both would happen again. Bellatrix was sexy… in a psychotic insane sort of way. But she was married and the whole restaurant ordeal had been unpleasant. He still wanted answers though, and walked out of the room into the dining room. Searching for the staircase, he walked through a bunch of different rooms, sort of taking an unguided tour of Malfoy manor. Finally, he reached a staircase and walked up the steps. Of course, he had no idea which room Bellatrix was located in, so he decided to look in all of them. He was just closing the fourth door when Narcissa came up behind him and grabbed his hand. Severus turned calmly and followed Narcissa as she led him to a room much farther down the hallway.

The room was handsomely furnished, the headboard of a mahogany bed against the far wall, two windows on the wall to the left of it with a lovely little dresser. There's was a door leading to either a bathroom or a closet, and a vanity next to the wall across the bed. The wall facing the windowed one was touching a light brown, relaxing looking loveseat, a painting of a landscape hanging above it. The walls were a deep red, the carpet a very clean white. The bedspread matched the loveseat in color, and Bellatrix lay in the very center of the large bed looking very content. Bella rolled her eyes when she saw Snape. "I suppose you're here to harass me with questions too." Narcissa left, closing the door gently behind her.

"Yes." he replied simply.

"Well, interrogate me then."

"What was the real reason you came to my house for?"

"To apologize and thank you for dinner. Cissy made me."

"Why did you drink so much?"

"I wouldn't have apologized otherwise." Bellatrix's expression soured. She didn't like the questions so far.

"Why did you come join me on the couch?"

"That?"

"Yes that."

"Well, I don't really remember. Maybe I was cold?"

"Of course. That's all I needed to know."

"Wait! Severus, we didn't… do anything last night, did we?"

"We drank. Or rather you drank. You apologized and thanked me. You joined me on the couch…?"

"You know very well what I mean."

"Explain your thoughts."

"Severus!"

"Nothing… serious." He mumbled the last bit, hoping Bellatrix wouldn't notice. She did.

"What did you say?" she asked hesitantly.

"I said 'Nothing.'." He replied.

"No, after that." she stated. Severus cursed under his breath. "Well!? What was it?"

"I don't much feel like repeating myself." Snape answered as he turned and headed toward the door. The next thing he knew, someone had screeched something sounding a lot like 'Crucio!', but he wasn't sure, for he found himself on the floor, overcome with immense pain, so much that he couldn't think clearly. His features contorted, not nearly close to showing how much he hurt. Bellatrix's high-pitched laughter filled the room.

"How about telling me now?" she inquired. Severus didn't make any attempt to answer her. Bellatrix jumped out of bed to leave Severus suffering in the room. She headed towards the door, but her head started spinning because she had gotten up so abruptly. She fell with a crash on top of Severus, causing him more pain.

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Author's note and more other random things: Thank you so much to my only two reviewers so far, Electra de Lioncourt and JoSchmo666. Your reviews make me smile!


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